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San Francisco Municipal Railway 1258

San Francisco Municipal Railway 1258

Description

San Francisco Municipal Railway 1258 is a Boeing–Vertol Light Rail Vehicle. It is a three-truck, articulated, lightweight, steel car designed for either high or low platform loading.

History

With the end of the Vietnam War, the U.S. government had to come up with new ways to keep its defense contractors employed. One way was to design a Standard Light Rail Vehicle for the Urban Mass Transportation Administration, intended to replace the tired PCC cars (UMTA became the Federal Transit Administration in 1991).

In 1973 Boeing-Vertol began designing the SLRV for the San Francisco Municipal Railway, and the Muni ordered 100, which were numbered 1200-1299. The first revenue run of these new cars was in 1979.

In 1975 the Muni took on a whole new look with a new logo and color scheme designed by Walter Landor & Associates. The new logo became known as the "Muni Worm".

Boston's Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA, known in Boston as "the T") also ordered SLRVs. However, the T didn't care for the cars' performance, so they canceled the second part of the order, and the Muni ended up taking them. These were identical to the Muni SLRV except they had 2-1 seating and were numbered 1300-1329. They entered service in 1983. All 130 of these LRVs were plagued with many problems and were difficult to maintain. Most
cars averaged only 2,000 miles between failures.

In 1995 the first of the current fleet of Breda cars arrived, and this was the beginning of the end for the Boeing-Vertol LRVs. Between 1996 and 2002 the Boeing cars were retired and scrapped. On May 20, 2002 the Western Railway Museum acquired the 1258 from Muni, and it is only one of two Boeing-Vertol SLRVs to be preserved in railway museums.

  • Owners: San Francisco Municipal Railway
  • Technical Data: Lightweight three truck articulated LRV. Built by, Boeing Vertol Company of Philadelphia, Pa. in 1974. Seats, 68 passengers, one operator, maximum passenger capacity 219. Empty weight, 67,000 pounds.
  • Trucks: Mono-motor with right angle drive to both axles, inboard journals, primary suspension is rubber chevrons, secondary suspension is air ride springs, truck frame and bolster are all welded fabrications made from HTLA steel. Wheels, 26-inch diameter resilient wheels. Axle. Journals. Traction motors, two 210 horsepower motors per car, forced air-cooled. There is no traction motor on center truck.
  • Air Brake Equipment: Brake equipment, dynamic, disc, and magnetic track brake. Disc brakes are air over hydraulic. Air compressor.
  • Dimensions: Width, maximum 8’ 10 1/4”. Length over couplers, 73’. Height, 11’ 6”. Truck centers, 23’ 0”. Truck wheelbase, 73”.
  • Propulsion Equipment: Garrett Air Research. Master controller. Acceleration and dynamic braking, DC chopper thyristor controlled. Traction motors; Garrett shut wound with field control. Gearing, right-angle single reduction hypoid gear sets.
  • Misc Data: Couplers. Pantograph. Maximum speed, 50 mph. Acceleration rate, max. 3.1 mphps. Braking rate, service 3.5 mphps. Braking rate, emergency (below 30 mph) 6.0 mphps. Braking rate, emergency (above 30 mph) 4.0 mphps. Jerk rate, 2.5 mphpsps. Minimum track radius, 32 feet.
  • Current Condition: This car is in good condition and is operational.
  • Proposed Future Treatment: This car needs to have pantograph replaced.
  • Date Last Modified: Thursday, 02 May 2019

Hours

Year Round
Saturdays & Sundays
10:30 am – 5:00 pm


Summer Hours (May 27 - September 1)
Thursdays (Interurban Train Rides)
10:30 AM - 3:30 PM
Fridays (Guided Walking Tours Only)
10:30 AM - 3:30 PM

Hours may vary at any time due to weather and/or the availability of our volunteers.


Closed Holidays
Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Years Eve, New Years Day

Museum Location

5848 State Highway 12
Suisun City, CA 94585

(707) 374-2978

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